Hotel cancelled non refundable stay, refusing to tell me if I’m eligible for a refund

Given you booked through Marriott who are not going bankrupt, you will almost certainly get your money back.

Try calling them OP. Sometimes it's easier to just speak to a human. Number is 00800 1927 1927 (you can verify this online at the Marriot website so you know I haven't given you a fake number). The double zero at the start threw me a bit but I just tried it and it worked.

As others have said, they cancelled it, not you, so you are eligible for a refund. But I know you'll want that confirmed by them. And the sooner they process it, the sooner you'll be able to book new accommodation.

Do you have the T&Cs from your original booking. It should mention that you will get your money back if they fail to honour your booking. You will get the money back, unfortunately it may take a bit of time.

100% yes they should be refunding you.

@SomethingInTheAirToday - you’re eligible because they cancelled. Just for future reference, if you pay for something and a supplier doesn’t provide it, you are entitled to a refund (unless the cancellation is somehow connected to you or something you have done, where the position may be different). Suppliers cannot just keep your money if they’re not going to provide what you paid for.

Give it a bit more time

if after contacting them once more (send an email if you haven’t) go for a chargeback instead they cancelled not you

Don't stress. I'm sure the refund is being processed. They've probably got a lot to get through!

This scenario is specifically covered by the Consumer Rights Act (trader cancelling the contract but saying they can keep the fee), so just sit tight. I'm sure they'll refund you!

If they’ve cancelled you’ll get a refund.

It’ll take time to process (usually 3-5 working days) but why do you think you won’t be eligible because they cancelled?

No refundable means you don’t get a refund if you cancel.

Their wording is just a standard response to avoid promising refunds to propel who aren’t entitled.

@SomethingInTheAirToday - the “non-refundable” condition applies if you cancel. If, like here, the provider cancels for a reason unrelated to you then they must refund the money because you’ve paid for something that they are not going to provide.

Of course they will refund you OP. Just wait

I'm in the same boat. I spoke to them yesterday and I wanted to rebook so they passed me to a supervisor where I sat on hold for 3 and a bit hours and didn't get to speak to them as I had to go to bed. They did say initially refunds are being processed and to allow up to 30 days.

All I'd say is try not to worry that it wasn't paid by credit card, this is exactly the scenario where a Visa dispute will help you (I work in this area). I'm confident you'll receive a refund via the company though.

Had something similar happen to us in 2024. Booked direct with Marriott though. Hotel was converted to asylum accommodation so they cancelled the non-refundable room.
Received a full refund automatically.

This isn’t a refund like if you’d cancelled - it’s a repayment for goods and services not received. Of course they ought to return your money! It sounds like they may have quite a lot of bookings to deal with rather than just you so it could take a while I guess

It should be ok from a corporation of that size.

As an aside, I used to be in a finance-related occupation and was told long ago by someone in the banking industry to never ever use a debit card, because it’s a direct pipeline to one’s cash.

With a credit card, it’s the lender’s money at risk so they will be more proactive in dealing with fraud and situations like this.

I used a credit card for absolutely everything and just pay it off each month.

It doesn’t need to be 2 nights. I got all my money back for a one night stay in Glasgow through my RBS silver account insurance.

Non-refundable means they don't refund if you cancel - they haven't breached the contract as the room was available but you chose not to use it so they don't have to repay you. If they cancel they have to refund the money because they haven't fulfilled their side of the contract.

If its a UK holiday, it generally needs to be +2 nights to make an insurance claim. This would be my last port of call as you'll pay an excess.

If you paid with a Visa debit card, you can put a chargeback through via your bank. That will most likely be successful as you have evidence they cancelled it (and evidence you've chased them via SM - keep a record of these posts). Just because its non refundable, it doesn't mean they can cancel without giving you a refund.

I think the most likely outcome will be that youll receive a refund. How much is it?

You’ll get a refund but it’ll probably be 5 working days, that’s the standard time usually. I feel your pain, I hate stuff like this and always use my credit card as you get more support/insurance than with debit cards.

They may well be manually processing all bookings and as yours isn't until next year will be down the list. I would give it another couple of weeks. I can't see how you wouldn't be eligible for a refund if you booked direct. I suspect that the ones that may not be, or there is a dispute over who is to refund, are booked through a third party.